The SYNERGY Network against gender based and domestic violence marked the end of its current cycle at a closing conference “Working Together for a Europe Free from Violence", held in Brussels from 20-21 January 2025. Organised under the EEA and Norway Grants’ Lithuanian Justice and Home Affairs Programme, the event gathered 111 participants from 15 countries to reflect on SYNERGY’s accomplishments in the last years.
As a key partner, the Council of Europe played a central role in these discussions. Marja Ruotanen, Council of Europe Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity, noted that with 39 accessions, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) is recognised as a global standard. She also emphasised current challenges, such as digital violence and its effect on democracy.
The conference addressed the national implementation of the Istanbul Convention and the EU's directive on violence against women. The Council of Europe's monitoring body, the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO), will assess the EU's Istanbul Convention implementation through a baseline evaluation report expected in 2027.
The SYNERGY Network, coordinated by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, has organised 16 gatherings since 2018 including international conferences, study visits, trainings and publications in cooperation with governmental and non-governmental professionals from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, France, Greece, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the Financial Mechanism Office in Brussels.
The closing conference demonstrated the strategic role of the Council of Europe in EEA and Norway Grants’ SYNERGY Network by raising awareness of the standards related to gender based and domestic violence against women, regardless of Istanbul Convention ratification status.
See more:
- ARTICLE. 2025 SYNERGY conference charts the future of gender-based violence prevention in Europe
- AGENDA. Conference agenda and details
- WEBSITE. The SYNERGY Network against gender based and domestic violence
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